Recently in fees Category

The Centers for Disease Control is advising postponement of nonessential travel to Mexico, and all major U.S. airlines are allowing ticketed customers to postpone their trips or change their destinations, at least for the next few weeks.

Nobody is offering refunds because of the swine flu. But most airlines are permitting passengers who hold tickets for travel to Mexico within a specified period (which varies by airline) to reschedule the same routing or to apply the value of the ticket to a new destination within one year. In other words, if you're not sure what you want to do, you can cancel the trip in return for a voucher equal to the cost of the ticket and good for one year.

Did you ever get the feeling that airline executives are gathering in some dimly lit back room to figure out how to nickel and dime you to death?

Turns out, you were right! Except for the dimly lit part. They're actually doing it at the Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, which looks very well-lighted in the photos on its Web site.

Chris Elliott, as usual, has the goods on the Airline Sales Channel & A-La-Carte Pricing conference next month.

I understand the airlines are hurting badly and need revenue. All I ask is that the hotel charge the conference attendees extra for their blankets and pillows.

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary insists he really meant it about charging passengers to use the lavatory on flights and says he's asked Boeing to design 737s with doors requiring a credit-card swipe for entry.

Airlines in the United States lost 1.3 million fewer pieces of luggage on domestic flights in 2008 than they did the year before.

This may sound like an accomplishment, but it's merely a consequence. The airlines are carrying fewer pieces of luggage, owing mostly to their new fees on checked bags, so they have less to lose, the Chicago Tribune reports.

This is no doubt alarming to those few scoundrels in the ranks of baggage handlers who are inclined toward larceny, as it constitutes a decline in the number of bags available to steal from. Despite this setback, 10 enterprising Delta employees at Bradley are charged with stealing passengers' property, mainly electronics, The Hartford Courant reports.

Meanwhile, British Airways, sort of a loss leader in the airline industry, managed to lose Prince Edward's luggage, The Daily Mirror reports. This, apparently, is just not done, or at least had never been done before. Royal luggage is not to be lost, nor, one assumes, are their iPods to be trifled with.

The joke has been around for years as airlines have piled on fees: When are they going to start charging to use the bathroom?

Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's combative CEO, told the BBC this morning that the ultra-no-frills airline was looking into charging £1 for using the lavatories. "One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door," he said.

US Airways will stop charging for non-alcoholic beverages on March 1, according to a letter to employees from CEO Doug Parker.

The airline started charging for beverages -- including bottled water -- on Aug. 1 last year. The move was unpopular and the other major airlines did not follow suit.

Parker acknowledged this in his letter, noting that the charges became a focal point for complaints and that "with US Airways being the only large network carrier to charge for drinks, we are at a disadvantage."

US Airways, Parker said, remains committed to the strategy of a la carte pricing. Last week the airline stopped supplying free blankets and pillows and started charging $7 for a "power-nap sack kit."

Gird yourselves -- there will be no more complimentary blankets and pillows in domestic coach on US Airways, which is introducing a $7 kit with an inflatable pillow, blanket, earplugs and eye shades.

"The US Airways Power-Nap Sack provides our customers with a personal, affordable way to boost their comfort when they fly," quoth Kevin Jackson, managing director of consumer and partnership marketing, in a press release.

Frontier Airlines may have hit on a sensible combination of traditional all-inclusive fares and so-called "unbundled" pricing.

The Denver Post reports that Frontier's passengers now get a choice among a traditional "classic" fare that includes an allowance for two checked bags and in-flight entertainment; a "classic-plus" fare that's also refundable and allows flight changes; and a bare-bones economy fare that includes none of the above.

The classic fare starts at about $20 more than the economy fare, each way.

Frontier has more details on its Web site. Now, if we could just get it to resume its Hartford flight.

United Airlines has changed its mind about charging for meals in coach on transatlantic flights, but not about scaling back its food service in business class on domestic flights.

The business class thing wouldn't seem to be a very big deal. United has a business class on only about 16 domestic transcontinental flights a day. But the change is appears to be vastly unpopular with business travelers.

The airlines are trying desperately these days to figure out who they can afford to piss off. It's getting so there's not much more they can do to coach passengers, except perhaps forcing us to ride on the wing or wait on the first-class passengers.

Most of the reaction to United Airlines' decision to yank meals out of domestic business class runs a narrow gamut from disgust to fury.

The changes were described in an internal memo that was leaked a few days ago and written up in the San Francisco Chronicle. In a press release issued today, United described the changes as a "trial during the fourth quarter" that will be reevaluated at the end of the year.

It's simply wrong to charge for drinking water on a commercial aircraft. It's also stupid. And that's why US Airways should stop it.

It's hard to understand why the laws that require free potable water in such public places as movie theaters and amusement parks don't seem to apply to airlines. But then, it shouldn't have to be a law. It should just be a matter of common decency.

Airline customers who feel that service has gradually been chipped down to nothing while fees have been gradually piled on may appreciate Northwest Airlines' latest announcement. Nothing gradual about this pile of bad news.

These are dismal times for the travel industry. So dismal that U.S. Airways no longer feels able to provide peanuts and pretzels and American Airlines is charging $15 to check a bag. Which is why it's necessary to see how The Onion is making fun of the whole deaL.

I'm almost as tired of blogging about new airline fees as I am of paying them. It's turning into a fill-in-the-blank exercise: [Name] Airlines announced a new fee of $[amount] today for [service previously included in ticket cost].

I was still trying to get my eardrums back in order after the rapid-fire implosion of three airlines last week when I found out that Continental slipped in a $25 fee for checking a second bag. (By found out I mean that I read the Airline Biz blog.)

That's five of the Big Six airlines, if you're keeping count, with signs that American Airlines will join them soon. Continental's fee takes effect May 5 on all domestic flights.

As the limbo stick descends near ground level on airline customer service, Air Canada is doing a very impressive back bend.

Stop the marimba. We may have a winner.

For an extra fee of $25 on short-haul flights or $35 on longer ones (payable in advance) Air Canada will provide customer service agents to help passengers when if it fails to deliver them to their destinations.

Looks like American Airlines may be next. It has filed a notice with the Canadian government, which requires 45 days' notice, about imposing the same fee. A company spokesman said no final decision has been made about the fee, but I'll take bets with anyone who thinks it won't happen.

That's five of the Big Six legacy carriers on board with this fee. Continental is the lone holdout. No surprise there. Continental actually still serves food at no extra charge, at least sometimes.

As I said before, people with a lot of luggage should also look at Southwest. It still allows two checked bags. (Used to be three.)

Delta Air Lines will follow United and US Airways in assessing a $25 fee for a second piece of checked luggage. Delta President Ed Bastian told investors about the fee yesterday, according to Business Travel News Online.

United Airlines has made it clear that it doesn't have much room for me on its planes. Now it doesn't have much room for my luggage, either.

After reading about the airline's new $25 fee for checking a second bag on domestic flights, I kind of have to figure that United Airlines figures it's worth the money to further alienate a certain segment of the flying public - the segment I'm in.